Question
My niece is 8 years old this year, and her breasts are developing quickly. Are there any effective treatments?
Answer
The treatment for precocious puberty depends on the underlying cause. The current treatment goals are: 1. To suppress or slow down sexual development, especially to prevent girls from experiencing menstrual pain; 2. To suppress bone maturation and improve final growth in adulthood. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs can be used for treatment, which work by downregulating the secretion of pituitary gonadotropins, thereby restoring estrogen levels to pre-adolescent levels. In addition, parents should also be cautious about giving their children foods such as chicken, beef, mutton, silkworm chrysalis, and avoid excessive use of so-called children’s food that has not been strictly tested. Do not give children too many nutritional supplements such as royal jelly, pollen preparations, chicken embryo, and other “tonifying drugs.” Properly store contraceptives, breast enhancement beauty products, etc., to prevent children from accidentally ingesting or coming into contact with them.